Walter Brooke Explained

Walter Brooke
Occupation:Actor
Birth Name:Gustav William Tweer Jr.
Birth Date:October 23, 1914
Birth Place:New York City, U.S.
Death Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Yearsactive:1941–1986
Spouse:Elizabeth (Betty) Wragge
Children:2

Walter Brooke (born Gustav William Tweer Jr., October 23, 1914 – August 20, 1986) was an American actor.

Career

Brooke's film career stretched from You're in the Army Now (1941) to Jagged Edge (1985). One of his best-remembered roles was that of Mr. McGuire, a friend of Benjamin Braddock's parents in The Graduate (1967), who confides one sacred word to young Benjamin: "Plastics."[1]

Brooke portrayed District Attorney Frank Scanlon in the television series The Green Hornet.[2] [3] He also played Clarence Johnson in The Waltons, Walter Montgomery in Paradise Bay, Billy Herbert in One Man's Family, and Judge Howe in The Lawyers. Brooke appeared in three episodes of The Incredible Hulk as Mark Roberts, an editor for the fictional National Register. (The Character of Mark Roberts first appeared in the Season 2 episode "Stop the Presses" and was played by actor Richard O' Brien.)

He played several naval officers in McHale's Navy and an unnamed district attorney in two episodes of Perry Mason: "The Case of the Floating Stones" in 1963, and "The Case of the Wrathful Wraith" in 1965. Brooke made guest appearances in four episodes of Mannix (1968 - 1974). He appeared on stage in the 1957 production of Hide and Seek at the Shubert Theatre in Washington, DC. During the 1970s he appeared in different roles in 4 episodes of The Rockford Files.

Brooke's Broadway credits include Hide and Seek (1957), Seagulls Over Sorrento (1952), Twilight Walk (1951), Two Blind Mice (1949), The Barber Had Two Sons (1943), and Romeo and Juliet (1940).[4]

Brooke was active in the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, serving as a director at both the local and national levels, and he served as an officer in Actor's Equity.

Death

Brooke died from emphysema in Los Angeles[5] on August 20, 1986, aged 71. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth Wragge Brooke, and their two children, Thomas Brooke and Christina Brooke.[6]

Filmography

Television

Notes and References

  1. The New Yorker. Plastics. John. Seabrook. September 13, 2010. April 9, 2022.
  2. Book: Terrace. Vincent. Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. 2011. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Jefferson, N.C.. 978-0-7864-6477-7. 416–417. 2nd.
  3. Web site: Classic TV Shows – Green Hornet, Van Williams, Bruce Lee. Fifties Web. November 7, 2015. September 5, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150905070312/http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/green-hornet.htm. dead.
  4. Web site: Walter Brooke. Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. 27 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180527004211/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/walter-brooke-95071. 27 May 2018.
  5. News: Walter Brooke; Actor of Stage, TV, Movies. 26 May 2018. The Los Angeles Times. August 23, 1986. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180526203130/http://articles.latimes.com/1986-08-23/business/fi-16000_1_walter-brooke. 26 May 2018.
  6. News: The New York Times. Associated Press. Walter Brooke Is Dead at 71; A Stage, Movie and TV Actor. August 24, 1986. May 20, 2016.